Athol commercial proposal revived

ATHOL — A developer has revived a proposal to bring a shopping center to Athol that would include a grocery store, hotel, gas station, restaurants and retail/bank spaces.

The Crossings would be developed 37 acres east of U.S. 95 near the northwest corner of Highway 54 and Howard Road. A conceptual site plan was submitted to the Athol City Council last week by developer Hughes Investments.

"We've got a grocery store anchor tenant under contract," said Alan Johnson of Hughes Investments, adding that he couldn't disclose the name of the store.

When asked if he could say that it is not Super 1 Foods, Johnson said he couldn't.

Randy McIntire, Super 1 Foods manager, said he's aware of the project and a real estate agent approached the company about it. However, it's still premature to commit to the site. He said Super 1 has not crunched the numbers since there is not even any infrastructure installed at the site yet.

"If everything was in place, we could do a market survey," he said. "It's still just a rumor (that Super 1 will open a store at the site)."

Johnson said Hughes Investments has spent about $2 million on the site, including engineering, land acquisition and design for a wastewater treatment facility.

"We've spent a lot of money on it; we believe in it," he said.

Hughes said a sewage treatment facility is designed, but not installed. He's working with Idaho Department of Environmental Quality on the approval process.

Johnson said Athol is a viable site for such a retail project because many residents in that vicinity do their grocery shopping and banking in Hayden, Spirit Lake or Sandpoint. He also believes it's only a matter of time before more homes are built, and Silverwood Theme Park is a major draw.

"There's been demand for this project and now we're fulfilling that demand," he said.

No action was taken by the Athol council as it was a presentation only. The property is currently in the county.

The city of Athol received a comprehensive plan map application from the Hayden Lake developer, which built the Coeur d'Alene plaza anchored by WinCo Foods. A public hearing on the application will be held on June 2 at 7 p.m. at the Athol Community Center.

City Clerk Lori Yarbrough said specific possible businesses that would be a part of the project were not disclosed during the meeting.

"It would create jobs and bring property and sales tax revenue to the city, so it appears at first glimpse that it's a good thing, but everybody has their own opinion and I can't speak for them," Yarbrough said.

Information on the expected employment and tax impacts The Crossings would bring to the city was also presented by the developer at the meeting.

The project is projected to bring 69 jobs, according to Hughes. The first phase is projected to bring in $123,860 in annual property taxes to the city and $29,390 in sales tax revenue. Upon full completion, the project is expected to bring in $188,900 in annual property tax revenue and $44,060 in sales tax funds.

Hughes would also need to submit an annexation request, which would require public hearings.

"It's really in the preliminary stages," Yarbrough said of the proposal. "This is just the first step of coming to the city to see if it and its citizens are interested."

Access to the project would be from both Highway 54 and Howard.

Hughes has been planning a project at the Athol site for more than seven years.

H.J. Grathol, which is owned by Hughes Investments, was awarded $675,000 in 2012 for 16 acres of right of way at the Athol site after a condemnation dispute with the Idaho Transportation Department.

According to an article in The Press in 2009 — near the height of the recession — Hughes was acquiring property for the project at that time, planning to convert residential sites to commercial and planning to start construction in 2011. Since that time, the U.S. 95 widening project and overpass in Athol were completed.